Yes, exactly. My point being that (a) strength creates opportunities that are not available to smaller people and (b) facing a stronger partner raises the level of skill that you must have in order to execute a technique successfully.

Katherine

Where I train I can out muscle pretty nearly every person in my dojo. Some are my skill level, some well above and some below. All levels can take me down easily if their technique is good. If it is not good even the sandans can't move me. And I never give it away. In my dojo we are told that we need to learn not to rely on muscling as there is always going to be someone out there bigger and stronger than you are whether you are a guy or a girl.

Inside the dojo it really does not matter a whole lot if someone can out muscle you be they equal in skill or not. You get to train against that and that can only be useful. After all people in the dojo are there to help one another to learn. outside the dojo things are never going to be equal because you are unlikely to be in a confrontation with someone who has martial arts training. Having trained against the stronger skilled aikidoka in the dojo should give you the advantage. For girls I think that this is a very important aspect and is a big part of why I don't think that segregated training is a good idea.